A.V. family sentenced for $400K welfare embezzlement

SAN BERNARDINO • A 58-year-old former Apple Valley resident accused of diverting more than $400,000 of welfare funds intended for needy recipients was sentenced to 18 years in prison.

Arlene Francis Spinuzzi, a former San Bernardino County Welfare Department employee, accepted the prosecution's offer Monday and pleaded guilty to 15 felony counts of misappropriation of public funds. San Bernardino Superior Court Judge David Mazurek sentenced her immediately based on the plea agreement.

Spinuzzi, a former county eligibility worker in the child care program, authorized payment to her family members for child care services that were never provided, according to the prosecution. She was working out of one of the High Desert offices at the time and later moved to Laughlin.

The crime occurred over a seven-year period and involved more than 1,000 transactions and more than $415,000 in damages, according to the District Attorney's officials.

Deputy District Attorney David Varman said most welfare fraud cases he prosecutes are against recipients.

"What's different about this is she was a county employee," Varman said.

A Special Grand Jury indicted Spinuzzi, her husband Michael Kenneth Debar, her father Gerald Zibell and her daughter Sarah Debar Parks were indicted on a total of 90 felony counts of grand theft and misappropriation of public funds in February 2011.

Debar, 57, also took a plea bargain Monday and pleaded guilty to seven felony counts of misappropriation of public funds. The judge sentenced him to 10 years in prison.

Parks, 24, also pleaded guilty to one felony count of misappropriation of public funds. She was put on five-year probation, and if she violates her terms and conditions, she could get three years in prison. She told the Daily Press she had just been following her mother's instruction and had no idea she was breaking the law.

Zibell died on April 11 at 82 years old awaiting trial, Varman said.

The court ordered Parks to pay back $29,267.82 and will hold a hearing Aug. 30 to discuss the restitution amount for Spinuzzi and Debar. Varman is claiming $415,899 in losses.

"We do take this stuff seriously," Varman said. "We do prosecute them vigorously."

Tomoya Shimura may be reached at (760) 955-5368 or TShimura@VVDailyPress.com. Follow Tomoya on Facebook at facebook.com/ShimuraTomoya.

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